Replication Instructions
Paper: The Unionization of State Government Employees and the Cost of State Government: Re-evaluating an Evolving Relationship
This README file explains how to use the provided data file (final_union_joined.xlsx) and Stata replication script (replication.do) to reproduce the analyses and findings reported in the Administration & Society article.

Contents of the Replication Package
This replication package contains the following files:
* replication.do
A Stata do-file that imports the data, constructs analytic variables, and reproduces the statistical analyses and tables reported in the paper.
* final_union_joined.xlsx
A cleaned and merged dataset containing state-level measures of public-sector unionization, state government costs, and control variables used in the analysis.
* README.txt
This file.

Software Requirements
To replicate the analysis, you will need:
* Stata (version 15 or later recommended)

* The ability to import Excel files (built-in in standard Stata installations)
No additional user-written Stata packages are required unless otherwise noted in comments within replication.do.

File Setup
1. Place replication.do and final_union_joined.xlsx in the same working directory on your computer.
2. Open Stata.
3. Set your Stata working directory to the folder containing these files. For example:
  cd "path/to/your/replication/folder"
Alternatively, you may edit the file path in replication.do to point directly to the location of final_union_joined.xlsx on your system.

Running the Replication
1. Open replication.do in Stata�s Do-File Editor.
2. Review the initial comments at the top of the file, which describe the structure of the script and the outputs generated.
3. Run the do-file in its entirety by clicking Run or by typing:
  do replication.do
The do-file is organized sequentially to:
* Import the Excel dataset
* Label variables and define key measures
* Generate any transformed or lagged variables used in the analysis
* Estimate the regression models reported in the paper
* Produce tables and/or stored estimation results corresponding to the main findings

Output and Correspondence to the Paper
The regression results were generated by replication.do correspond directly to the models reported in the Administration & Society article. Comments within the do-file indicate which sections of the script align with specific tables or analyses in the manuscript (e.g., baseline models, alternative specifications, or robustness checks).
Minor differences in coefficient precision (e.g., rounding at the third or fourth decimal place) may occur due to software version or default settings but should not affect substantive conclusions.

Notes on Data
* The dataset in final_union_joined.xlsx �Sheet 1� reflects the final analytic sample used in the published paper.
* Variable definitions and sources are documented through variable labels and in-line comments within replication.do.

Troubleshooting
* File not found errors: Ensure the working directory is correctly set or that file paths in replication.do are updated.
* Excel import issues: Confirm that final_union_joined.xlsx is not open in another program while Stata is running.

Contact
For questions regarding the replication files or analysis, please contact the corresponding author listed in the published article: Colt Jensen (cjensen@sog.unc.edu)
